The World's Most Respected Companies

Last year, Berkshire Hathaway knocked Apple out of the No. 1 spot in Barron's annual ranking of the world's most respected companies. But the iEverything maker has reclaimed the throne with a flourish in 2014, its winning score leaving No. 2 Berkshire and others a blur in the rearview mirror.

Apple's comeback from third place last year tracks a similar revival in the company's shares, which lost almost...